North Aceh police silent over blast in their office

JAKARTA (JP): North Aceh Police remained tight-lipped on Thursday about the bomb explosion on Wednesday at a police station which injured three officers.

Local police chief Lt. Col. Iskandar Hasan has refused to answer questions about the explosion.

"I have no idea why he doesn't want to speak to the press about the incident," a friend of Iskandar told The Jakarta Post by phone last night.

"He's still chairing a meeting (on the incident) right now," the friend said.

The authorities refusal to comment on the blast has left local reporters nonplused.

"As of now, there has been no official statement from security authorities, as if they really want to keep a tight lid on this case," the chairman of a local journalists organization, Zainal Bakri, was quoted by Antara as saying in the North Aceh capital of Lhokseumawe.

According to reports, the small homemade bomb was recently found by police in the Matangkuli administration office. Police removed the bomb to the station, where it exploded in the office of the head of the operational unit at 11:40 a.m. on Wednesday.

The three injured officers were identified as second Lt. Bambang, Sgt. Maj. Dwi Haryono and first class Sgt. Amri Mursan. The three are currently receiving medical treatment.

The cause of the explosion and details of the officers' wounds are still unknown.

According to reports, the bomb was planted by an unidentified party at the Matangkuli administration office, where it was discovered by North Aceh Police detectives along with a can of gasoline, matches and a mosquito coil.

"I believe the homemade bomb and the other materials were going to be used to blow up the Matangkuli administration office," a senior police officer who requested anonymity said.

According to reports, several rooms in the administration office already had been doused with fuel before police arrived.

The bomb was said to have been first spotted by a member of the office's cleaning crew, who had noticed that two typewriters and a radio communications set were missing from the office.

The bomb was removed by police, who took it to the station in Lhokseumawe, where it exploded minutes after it was placed on a table in the detective's office.

In a separate incident, residents of three North Aceh villages fled their homes on Thursday, bringing to some 1,200 the number of villagers from the area who have taken refuge in a mosque following the disappearance of a military intelligence officer some five days ago.

"The villagers don't know who kidnapped the man, but they are afraid of military questioning. They are all so traumatized by security forces in general that they have left home," a resident was quoted by AFP as saying.

Daarul Istiqomah Mosque in Tipin Raya subdistrict has opened a kitchen to feed the refugees from the villages of Cot Baruh, Cot Tunang and Krueng Njong.

"The late comers are sleeping on the terraces and outside the mosque," the resident said.

Lhokseumawe has been the scene of mounting public protest against the authorities and demands for a referendum on self- determination in Aceh.

Earlier this month, soldiers shot into a crowd of protesters in Krueng Geukueh, killing 41.

In Jakarta on Thursday, Student Solidarity for Aceh and the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence began raising money for the Krueng Geukeuh victims. (bsr/01)